1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a horizontal continuous casting device which improves a manner of lubrication of a cast ingot and can carry out stable casting.
2. Description of Prior Art
A known horizontal continuous casting device designed to improve a manner of lubrication of a cast ingot is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 40-19572, for example. In this prior art device, a mold is provided with an annular lubricating oil passage and a plurality of radial grooves communicated from the lubricating oil passage to an inner circumferential surface of the mold. A lubricating oil is supplied from the lubricating oil passage through the radial grooves to an outer circumferential surface of the cast ingot, thus effecting lubrication of the cast ingot.
In the above prior art, the radial grooves are formed as very small grooves so that a molten metal may not be forced into the grooves in a cast starting operation. However, as the grooves are actually so formed as to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the cast ingot, there is a possibility that the molten metal will be forced into the grooves by its pressure and solidified in the grooves in the cast starting operation. As a result, there is generated a surface defect of the cast ingot such as roughness of a casting surface and burning due to lack of lubrication. Even when the molten metal is not forced into the radial grooves, the lubricating oil is fed from the radial grooves directly to the outer circumferential surface of the cast ingot, causing a problem such that the lubricating oil is attached in lines on the outer surface of the cast ingot, and is not uniformly expanded over the outer surface of the cast ingot. As a result, there is a possibility that a surface defect such as burning of the surface of the cast ingot will be generated.